Disabled Down Under
@disableddownunder.bsky.social
Disabled, queer socialist filled with wrath and keen to tell some tales from Australia's disability policy hellscape.
Tomorrow we are mourning the NDIS. Our NDIS. The NDIS that was about ending scarcity, giving disabled people normal lives and real supports to be who they are. Join us in Melbourne at the DSC conference to grieve what we have lost. You are not alone. You are not imagining it. Wear black.
Ask the #NDIS participants you care about how it's going now. #Auspol #AusVotes #AusVotes2025
Do you know how much eugenics you have to be doing for Autism Speaks to be like "whoa that's too much eugenics"
The NDIA are overdue on responding to a number of questions from Senator Jordon Steele-John about eligibility reassessments, including who is being impacted and how much the NDIA is saving by throwing people off the scheme.
This year for Autism Awareness Month - the challenge is to do all these in one month.
Snap NDIS community catch up with Senator Jordon Steele-John tonight, 6.30pm AEST contact-wa.greens.org.au/civicrm/even...
NDIS Snap Online Community Catch-Up | The Greens
contact-wa.greens.org.au
Department of Social Service has just sent out an email saying that there will be new NDIS rules on plan management decisions (i.e. the power to make people 'Agency managed' and unable to use non registered providers) as well as decisions around changes of circumstance.
It just occured to me for the first time in my life that I don't need to work at a fast pace. I can just, mark these essays, slowly. It's incredible how much less stressful this is. Is this how burn out happens?
periodically I look around at the state of the internet and the way it is clearly contributing to making the world worse in so many ways, and I think back to dicking around in a computer lab in the early 00s and how full of promise it all felt, and I feel sad it didn't have to be this way
I'm sick with something that seems suspiciously like COVID. I did a few tests at the start of the infection, but didn't get a positive result. I'm now reading about the accuracy of RAT tests and being horrified. It's basically unchecked out there, and there's very little anyone can do about it.
Leaky Lifeboat isn't on LinkedIn, but if you are, we'd love some allyship there when we share updates about the impacts of #LeakyNDIS reforms. Right now, our focus is urgently fixing unfair #NDIS eligibility reassessments before we see 1200/week again. This LinkedIn post nails it. #Auspol
Mark Pietsch on LinkedIn: Open letter to the NDIA regarding procedural fairness in NDIS eligibility…
This is a call to action for fairness and dignity. NDIA, it’s time to listen to us. Time to act ethically. Time to include people with disabilities…
linkedin.com
Another reason why we shouldn’t put the robots in charge just yet.
The thing that’s frustrating me the most about being visibly disabled at the moment is the way that my life is assumed to be kinda tragic even if they’re not. Like, this is the best things have ever been for me but because there’s a wheelchair involved people can’t help see it as such a shame.
Imagine reporting that healthcare, education and infrastructure are a “drain” on the Commonwealth budget. They are, along with education, NDIS, pensions and defence, THE REASON for the Commonwealth budget! #auspol
Thinking of all the disabled folks having a lonely holiday season bc ppl couldn't be bothered with COVID precautions, the space wasn't accessible, funds are tight, you need the time off to recover, ppl are disappointed you're not who you used to be, invitations are simply no longer forthcoming, etc.
Hey #Auspol, you heard about all those #NDIS eligibility letters, right? Where else have we seen vague government letters fishing for vague information in a way that sets recipients up for an adverse outcome in the last decade? 👀 #LeakyNDIS
Leaky Lifeboat #LeakyNDIS 🛟🆘@leakylifeboat.bsky.social · 2y agoDear NDIA: Take this as a complaint on behalf of every #NDIS participant* you have sent vague, 28-day eligibility letters to. By your own admission, that’s ALL of them. Please fix it by Jan. Sincerely, Leaky Lifeboat #LeakyNDIS #Auspol *If that's you, see links in replies for more help 👇
Spotify is killing music This is a brilliant and detailed analysis of their use of fake / ghost / AI music to fill out playlists, replacing real artists to avoid paying any royalties, even the tiny crumbs they pay us real musicians Capitalism sucks harpers.org/archive/2025...
The Ghosts in the Machine, by Liz Pelly
Spotify’s plot against musicians
harpers.org
Funding criteria for the equipment program in my state. Sometimes I imagine that instead of arbitrary rules we had some kind of system that looked at your disability and your goals and then worked out what you needed to make that happen. Then I remember we did have that. #LeakyNDIS.
@squigglyrick.bsky.social's article about the chaotic and rushed transition to algorithmic budget setting at the NDIS. Our leaky lifeboat is headed for an iceberg and the government just wants to keep speeding up. #LeakyNDIS www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/health/...
Exclusive: ‘Catastrophic errors’ seen in rushed NDIS reform
Following confidential briefings, disability advocates say hundreds of thousands of people will be underserved by new eligibility rules that are reminiscent of failed Coalition policy.
thesaturdaypaper.com.au
Can someone tell me what person-centred means? I'm new to this disabled life, but as far as I can tell it seems to be a kind of incantation used by people who are in the middle of doing an oppression to help themselves feel better. Don't worry Susan, at least it was a person-centred oppression.
@jetstarairways.bsky.social Not okay. Please address your discriminatory policies that limit how many wheelchair users are allowed on your flights at one time. Disabled people deserve access to budget airlines too.
S|AM Connor@criprights.bsky.social · 2y agoHere’s my open letter to @jetstaraustralia CEO Stephanie Tully. You can read it here. www.linkedin.com/posts/samant... And you can read Bodhi’s story here. jec.org.au/civil-rights... Because disabled Australians should be able to access air travel like everyone else.
Until you experience it, it’s hard to understand, people with disabilities aren’t looking for “special treatment” or a government funded life of luxury. We want support to enjoy the basic privileges of being an adult most people take for granted.
Leaky Lifeboat #LeakyNDIS 🛟🆘@leakylifeboat.bsky.social · 2y agoImagine if… you had to get approved by your health insurance company to sleep in a bed with your partner. Australians with disability don’t want special treatment. We want a fair go in life without the government micromanaging us and making our worlds smaller than yours. #LeakyNDIS 🛟
Imagine if... the only way you could get shoes was waiting on hold to see how generous the Telstra service rep was feeling. Australians with disability want a fair go in life without the government micromanaging us and making our worlds smaller than yours. #LeakyNDIS 🛟
Watching the recording of the DSS Foundational Supports "What we heard" webinar - let's see if there's anything useful here. engage.dss.gov.au/foundational...
Foundational Supports | engage.dss.gov.auFoundational Supports – engage.dss.gov.au
engage.dss.gov.au
Did you get a vague NDIS eligibility reassessment letter before they were paused for Christmas? We've put some stuff together for you. #LeakyNDIS 🛟 Here's Option 1:
NDIS Eligibility Reassessments
I’m scared I will get an initial eligibility reassessment letter.
leakylifeboat.substack.com
It's good to see some of the DROs are speaking out against independent assessments mark II. It's also notable and concerning that other key disabled peoples' organisations were not part of this statement. pwd.org.au/pwda-and-dis...
PWDA and Disability Representative Organisations Oppose Rushed Implementation of New Support Needs Assessment Model - People with Disability Australia
PWDA and DROs respond to new assessment model. Support government funding to reduce costs but oppose government-delivered assessments.
pwd.org.au
Impacted by changes to the NDIS or supporting someone who is? Got an eligibility reassessment letter and don't understand: • Why you need new evidence • What new evidence you need • How you're meant to get it in 28 days? Grab a life ring and take a deep breath. You're not alone. #LeakyNDIS 🛟
Impacted by changes to the NDIS? Don't know what to do next? You're not alone.
If the #LeakyNDIS lifeboat is leaving you behind, we're here to throw you a life ring.
leakylifeboat.substack.com
"One signature reform to the #NDIS is removing the #foundationalsupports for children with mild autism and early developmental challenges..." This is the political editor of the AFR Phil Coorey showing a 🤯 lack of understanding of how the NDIS actually works. #LeakyNDIS shorturl.at/i8u0e
NDIS growth curb ahead of schedule, but budget burden grows
The NDIS is on track to have its growth rate reduced to 8 per cent a year earlier than expected, but the cost of the scheme will continue to rise as a proportion of GDP,
afr.com